COLUMBIA, Mo. – With a 32-yard field goal as time expired, Harrison Mevis assured his place in Missouri football lore. In a game the Tigers trailed by two touchdowns in the fourth quarter, regained the lead late then lost it again, the freshman kicker’s 32-yard field goal was the difference in a wild 50-48 victory over Arkansas.
His coaches and teammates spilled onto Faurot Field — social distancing be damned — as the Tigers (5-3) celebrated their third straight win and fourth in five games.
It didn’t come easy for Eli Drinkwitz’s Tigers, who lost their best player to an ejection in the first half, then appeared to suffer a crushing blow in the final minute.
With a deflected reception on a 2-point conversion, Arkansas (3-6) took the lead 48-47 with 43 seconds left, a brutal sequence of plays for senior linebacker Jamal Brooks, who was in the game for star Nick Bolton, ejected earlier the second quarter for targeting. Earlier on the drive, Brooks dropped a potential interception and missed a tackle on fourth down that would have clinched the win.
But Connor Bazelak helped bail out the defense with a clutch last-minute drive, completing all four of his passes to set up Mevis’ game winner. For the game, Bazelak completed 32 of 49 passes for 380 yards, while Larry Rountree carried the offense at times with 185 rushing yards and three touchdowns.
It was Mizzou’s fifth straight in over the Razorbacks, who played without starting quarterback Feleipe Franks but still managed 566 yards of offense.
But against Barry Odom’s Arkansas defense, the Tigers came alive in the second half: MU’s final four possessions averaged 75 yards and just 73 seconds.
The Hogs took a 33-23 lead into the fourth quarter after adding another Trelon Smith rushing touchdown in the third quarter. Mizzou’s only answer was a 37-yard Mevis field goal, though the Tigers were knocking on the door of the red zone at the quarter break.
The Tigers found themselves trailing Arkansas 27-20 at halftime after suffering a major loss. Bolton was ejected for targeting for an open-field hit on Hogs receiver John David White with 1:34 left in the half. Bolton appeared to strike White in the chest and shoulder when he knocked the ball loose, but the play was ruled an incomplete pass. The penalty was confirmed by the replay review, meaning Bolton cannot return for the second half. Bolton, an All-American candidate and Butkus Award semifinalist, will be eligible to start the first half of next week’s game against Georgia. He had to leave the game earlier to have his left ankle taped and had trouble tracking down plays at times.